Confiscating Charlie (7 page)

As she primped, her inner voice interjected periodically, telling her she was behaving like a crazy person.

Her first taste of pleasure, and she had fallen hard, succumbed to a desire so intense she could barely function. The fact that she had just met Noah wasn
’
t even enough to make her blink. All she knew was what he had told her.

She was his now.

Charlie hoped Noah knew that he was hers now, too.

****

When she knocked, he wasn
’
t in his room. She went downstairs and found him in the dining room, sitting at the formally set mahogany table. He was talking on the phone, but he rose when she entered.

“
Yes, Sergei. I
’
ll come in first thing Monday. Stop that. I should be thanking you. All right, see you Monday, man.
”

Charlie tensed. Today was Saturday. Was Noah going to leave in a few days?

“
Where are you going?
”
she asked, unable to hide the disappointment in her voice.

Noah smiled.
“
Only to the city for a meeting. Business. I
’
ll be back in time for dinner.
”

Charlie nodded, the tightness in her chest loosening fractionally, but she still felt a little anxious. She had only been alone with him twice, and both times passion had literally swept her off her feet.

She didn
’
t know how to act around him.

He beckoned her to a chair.
“
You look beautiful. Come sit. Cook said she knows what your favorite dinner is, and I asked her to make you a cake. Devil
’
s food. I hope you like it.
”

Charlie beamed at him.
“
I love it, thank you.
”

Noah gave her a small frown.
“
Why didn
’
t you tell anyone it was your birthday?
”

She shrugged and looked down at the table.
“
I didn
’
t want them to get the wrong idea.
”

“
What might that be?
”

Charlie met his eyes and then waved her hands lightly.
“
It
’
s complicated. I do miss my sister today, but believe me, I would rather spend my birthday alone than go through the circus she would organize to celebrate it. She
’
d invite half the county and my entire school, which is awkward since I don
’
t know anyone very well yet. I have made some friends, but not close ones and I didn
’
t invite them over because...well it
’
s weird to spring that on someone
—
hey, come on over. We
’
ll swim and have cake
‘
cause it
’
s my birthday.
”

“
It
’
s not weird,
”
he protested as the cook brought out the meal
—
stuffed mushrooms followed by shrimp and scallops baked in cream with breadcrumbs.

Charlie grinned wryly.
“
It
’
s a
little
weird,
”
she continued after the cook left.
“
I was going to reread my favorite book instead. I
’
d rather do that than
—”
She cut herself off and blushed.
“
I take that back. There are some things I
’
d rather be doing than rereading Persuasion again.
”

Noah gave her a warm and intensively private smile. A little thrill raced up her spine.

“
That
’
s Austen right?
”
he asked between bites of the delicious meal.

“
Yes,
”
she said pleased he knew one of the author
’
s lesser known works.

“
We forgot your gift outside,
”
he reminded her.
“
We should go get it after dinner. I think you
’
ll like it.
”

She gave a guilty start and then laughed.
“
I would apologize, but it
’
s your fault I forgot all about it.
”

He chuckled and agreed. The rest of the meal passed in eager conversation. They told each other their life stories, although Charlie tried to gloss over the unpleasant parts. But inevitably, some surfaced anyway.

They had blown out the candles on her cake together at her request and were enjoying seconds when he pointed out that Darla hadn
’
t called her.

“
Oh, the time change is probably confusing her,
”
she said lightly.
“
She
’
s always been hopeless at calculating the right time back home when she travels.
”

It was true, but Noah still threw her a small sympathetic glance.
“
What about her husband? The other one. Her ex-husband. Were you friendly?
”

Charlie
’
s throat tightened. She set aside her fork and looked down at her plate.
“
We were. We don
’
t talk anymore. Not since the divorce.
”

She was surprised when Noah appeared at her side. He pulled her out of the chair.
“
Forget about that. I
’
m your family now,
”
he said stroking her cheek.
“
Come on, let
’
s go get your gift and then veg out in front of the TV.
”

Charlie inhaled deeply before agreeing.

****

Noah woke up early, surrounded by the familiar blue plaid of the walls of his bedroom. The pattern was faint, and he
’
d always disliked it, but it was a more pleasant alternative to the glaring pink of Charlie
’
s room.

They hadn
’
t made love again last night. Since yesterday was her first time, he wanted to wait and give her a chance to recover. Instead, they talked most of the night, cuddling on the couch long after the movie she had chosen finished.

Charlie had been shy about sleeping in his room, worried about what the servants might think. But he hadn
’
t taken no for an answer, and she
’
d slept in his arms. He
’
d slept peacefully the whole night.

Waking up was better. He crawled down Charlie
’
s length, stroking her soft skin as he opened her legs.

This was a wake-up call she was never going to forget.

The next few days were the strangest of Noah
’
s life. He was energized and curious to know everything about Charlie, but at the same time he felt like he already knew her
—
had known her his whole life.

A strange and unfamiliar peace settled in his heart. For the first time in his life, he didn
’
t feel restless.

It was like coming home.

He knew his claim on her had confused Charlie. There were moments when she would stare off into space and then blink before smiling at him nervously.

She wasn
’
t the type of women who gave herself freely to a man. She wasn
’
t Darla. But he wasn
’
t like his father, either. He wanted Charlie as she was. He would adapt to fit into her life the same way she would adapt to fit into his.

But so far, neither of them was going to have to make any big sacrifices. His vague idea of moving to Manhattan was solidified when Charlie told him she had been accepted to Columbia and was going to start there in the fall. Things couldn
’
t have worked out better if he
’
d planned them.

On Monday morning, he drove into the city to meet Sergei at Damov Industry headquarters. They drove to the other side of town to tour the engineers draft room and examine a 3D printed model of the hybrid engine. By lunchtime, he was signing contracts in the conference room.

Sergei had wanted him to start right away, but Noah had put him off.
“
I need to take some time to find a decent place and to get some stuff settled between me and my girl.
”

Sergei raised a brow.
“
Someone new? Is it serious?
”

Noah smiled.
“
It is new
and
serious. You
’
ll love her. She
’
s brilliant.
”

It wasn
’
t an exaggeration. Terrence
’
s report said Charlie had straight A
’
s this semester. At Dalton, that was quite an achievement.

Sergei gave him a broad grin.
“
You have to bring her around for drinks. We can celebrate your new career!
”
he said, picking up one of the reports on the engine
’
s projected fuel efficiency.

Noah pursed his lips.
“
Well, there
’
s a little problem with that.
”

“
What is it?
”
Sergei asked absently, his eyes on his small brunette assistant, who was gathering the rest of the paperwork from the table.

“
Charlie
’
s not legal drinking age yet.
”

Sergei
’
s head snapped up. He looked shocked, and Noah was about to make it worse.
“
And she
’
s still in high school.
”

Sergei dropped the report on the conference table.
“
Noah
.
”

“
It
’
s not what you think. Charlie
’
s nineteen. She had to miss a lot of school so she
’
s only now going to graduate, but she
’
s amazing. Honestly, I don
’
t know how this happened so quickly, but I
’
m crazy about her.
”

Sergei passed a hand over his face.
“
I forget how young you are sometimes. That
’
s what you get for being an overachiever. So how did you meet this girl?
”

Noah broke out into a huge grin.
“
My dad married her older sister. She
’
s Charlie
’
s legal guardian.
”

The tall Russian threw back his head and laughed.
“
Have you told Alex?
”

“
No, not yet. But I think I can count on his support.
”

Sergei clapped him on the back.
“
As long as you
’
re serious about her, yes, I think you can.
”

Noah didn
’
t need the warning. Afterwards, he stopped at his real estate agent
’
s office to give her new specifications for her search before driving back home.

****

Charlie didn
’
t want a graduation party. He argued with her, but she easily convinced him that a private celebration was a much better idea.

That didn
’
t stop him from going to watch her get her diploma with a huge bouquet of roses. It caused a bit of a stir, since he had a few fans in the student body at Dalton. A few of the faculty tried to make a fuss over him, but he politely reminded them that this was Charlie
’
s day.

After that, he
’
d thrown a possessive arm around her shoulders and taken her home. They spent the afternoon making love in his room. They took a break for dinner, but went straight back to bed afterwards.